It doesn't matter
by StoryReader888
Summary: My first... friend. ReaderxHaruhi friendship one-shot for a contest.


**It doesn't matter**

* * *

_Name_ heaved a heavy sigh as she walked down the hallways of Ouran high school, her books clutched tightly to her chest. Several girls passed by her, their eyes narrowed with disgust and hatred. They couldn't believe that a commoner like her was allowed into their prestigious school.

It had been almost two months since she was enrolled at Ouran, but the looks and the treatment she recieved had not changed. She understood why she was being treated so, but she was in no position to complain. Her new parents only wanted what was best for her and, since they had an unbelievable amount of money, they thought what was 'best' was sending her to Ouran.

So far, though, she failed to see what her new parents deemed so impressive about this school. So what if it was built like a castle and had all of the latest teaching equipment? It was filled to the very brim with stuck-up teens whom believed they were better simply because _their parents_ had money.

_Name_ still wasn't sure how they had manged to figure out that she was an orphan. It made her question the limits of what one could do with unlimited amounts of cash, but she hated to think that way.

Then there was the uniform, a frilly bright yellow dress.

It took everything she had to not become sick whenever she looked at it. Not only that, but it was very difficult for her to move around in.

As if sensing her distaste for the fabric, the dress slid down low, falling into the path of her foot. Her sneaker landed on it and she tripped, falling face first to the ground, her books scattering across the floor. The passing students paused, but not to give her a hand. They laughed at her, pointing and yelling insults at her.

_Name_'s cheeks burned and she sniffled in an attempt to stop her tears flat before they could fall from her eyes.

She hated this school.

She hated people.

She hated her life.

Why couldn't she have died along with her parents?!

"What are you laughing at?" A sharp voice broke through the crowd, silencing them. "This isn't a show! Get lost!"

_Name_ could hear their footsteps fade away as they scurried away from the scene. Once their footsteps faded away and she believed that she was alone, her head slowly lifted. A hand in front of her face made her realize that she wasn't alone.

Her glassy eyes traveled up the arm, growing wide when they landed on a handsome face.

"Are you alright, miss?" he asked softly, lips tugged up into a reassuring smile.

She swallowed hard, hands clenching around her dress. Of all the people to witness such an embarrassing moment, why did it have to be such a beautiful boy?

Her eyes started to pool with tears once more, unable to hold them back. The salty drops trailed down her burning cheeks, dropping from her chin and to the ugly yellow cloth that she was forced to wear. Her hand reached up to cover her face but it froze in the air when she felt warmth on her cheek.

Her eyes locked with intense brown eyes as he wiped her cheeks free of her troublesome tears.

"Don't cry," he murmured softly, his lips tugged down into a frown. "You're the recent transfer student, right? _First Name_ _Last Name_?"

She could only nod, too embarrassed to speak a word.

"It's nice to meet you. If you need help with anything, let me know, okay?"

She blinked in confusion. Why was he being so nice to her? Hadn't he heard the rumors? She was just a lowly orphan, a commoner, not worth his time.

"Why..." her voice cracked and she flushed, turning her gaze to the ground. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Why are you being nice to me?"

He cocked his head to the side, brown bangs brushing his forehead from the movement. He stared at her for a moment in confusion before smiling at her softly. "I know what it's like."

"Eh?"

"My family's not rich. I got into Ouran on a scholarship, so I know how trying these kids can be."

"W-Wow. You must be really smart."

He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, I guess so."

Climbing to his feet, he extended his hand to her once again. She didn't hesitate to slide her hand into his and he pulled her to her feet.

His eyes glanced over to the clock sitting on the wall. "It's that late already? I'm sorry, but there's somewhere I need to be."

"W-Wait!" she cried, grabbing onto the sleeve of his jacket. "Y-Your name..."

"Ah."

Realization dawned on him that he had not properly introduced himself. He smiled, turning around to face her, his eyes closed and head cocked to the side.

"Haruhi. Haruhi Fujioka."

* * *

Several months passed by and _Name_ found herself growing increasingly dependant on Haruhi. He was always there, standing up for her and helping her with anything that she needed. He was so sweet and kind to her... she didn't know how to react to him. All she knew was that she was terrified, terrified to lose her first and only friend.

She stopped walking, eyes staring blankly at the floor.

Did she even have any right to call him her friend? They haven't known each other for very long, and she has never spoken to him outside of school. She doubted that he felt the same over bearing attachment that she did.

It scared her.

_Name_ shook her head and continued walking.

Her mind wasn't focusing on who or what was arround her and she ended up roughly bumping into someone's shoulder. With her head bowed low in embarrassment, she muttered out an apology before continuing on her way. The boy had no intention of letting her leave and grabbed her arm, fingers digging roughly into her skin. He whipped her around, shoving her against the wall.

Her eyes grew wide in fear of the malicious look swirling in his eyes.

A grin took over his lips as his eyes raked over her body. "You're not the hottest thing out there, but you'll do."

"W-What?" she managed to squeak out, only to cringe at how weak it came out.

"You have to pay for bumping into me."

"I-I said sorry!"

"Not good enough." he pressed his body against hers, her back digging painfully into the wall. It hurt, but she didn't have the strength to cry out.

Her eyes frantically searched the hallway, pleading for someone, anyone, to help her, but it was completely deserted. He laughed at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. His hands grabbed onto her wrists, forcing them against the wall before encasing them with one hand, allowing his free hand to roam her body.

"School's over, babe. There's no one here to save you." he purred into her ear, his hand roughly grabbing her breast.

A whimper of fear left her lips as she begged him to let her go, but this action only seemed to turn him on. He pressed his hips against hers, his bulge resting against her leg as cold lips landed on her neck.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

The male was shoved away from her. As soon as his grip was gone, she slid down to the floor, her legs no longer able to hold her weight. Her assailant stumbled back a few steps, but somehow managed to maintain his balance, eyes narrowed at her saviour.

"Fujioka," he spat.

The name made _Name_'s head snap up.

Haruhi stood before her, his arms spread wide in a protective way and an angry look marring his face.

"How can you call yourself a man when you have to force yourself onto a girl? It's despicable!"

The unnamed boy took a menacing step forward, but he didn't make it far before he was flat on his back and out cold. _Name_ blinked dumbly.

_What just happened?_

Her eyes shifted to a tall, dark boy who stood over her attacker. Beside him was his polar opposite, clinging to a stuffed pink bunny. She tried to get a better look at the odd pair, but Haruhi's face obstructed her view.

"Are you okay, _Name_-chan?" he questioned, brown eyes shining with worry. The female didn't respond, instead throwing herself into his arms, face buried into the crook of his neck. Tears streamed down her face, no longer able to be held back.

Haruhi wrapped his arms around her shaking form, one hand petting her head as he whispered comforting words into her ear.

_Name_ felt like such a child, growing even more embarrassed being able to sense the gaze of the other two boys. She cried out, clutching Haruhi's shirt in her fist. She had to look so lame right now.

Haruhi didn't complain as she wrinkled his shirt, and he didn't complain at the strange feeling of his neck being soaked with tears. He simply held her tight until her sobbing died down.

When her body finally obeyed her command to stop shaking, she slowly pulled away from him, making sure to keep her head low so that her hair shadowed her face.

"I-I'm sorry," she sniffed, attempting to stand. It proved more difficult than she had originally thought and Haruhi ended up supporting her. "I-I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, _Name_-chan." he told her softly, but his words went unheard by her. She continued apologizing until her body gave into the shock and she slipped into unconsciousness. Haruhi struggled with the dead weight, almost hitting the floor if not for the stoic third year.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai."

He nodded without uttering a word, lifting the girl into his arms. Deciding to take her to the host club room so she could rest, the three started off down the hall, not sparing a glance to the unconscious male. Haruhi was worried about what Tamaki and the twins would do, but right now, they didn't have any other choice.

* * *

_Name_ felt warm and safe, a feeling she hasn't experienced since she was a small child, and it felt absolutely lovely, like she was floating on air.

Shifting slightly, her eyes fluttered open and two identical faces entered her view, hovering just inches from her own face. She tried to jump back, but whatever object she was laying on prevented her from making it very far. Hastily rubbing her eyes, she looked again, still seeing double.

"She's awake," they chimed in unison, before backing away.

She felt as if she could breathe again, but it didn't last.

Her personal space was invaded once more, this time by a blonde who took her hand into his own.

"Good morning, hime." his lips brushed her knucles and her face flushed at the attention, her head beginning to spin at his words.

_Good morning?_, she echoed in her head, eyes sliding closed.

_How long was I out? Where am I? And more importantly, who are these beautiful people surrounding me?!_

"Will you knock it off? You're scaring her!" her hand was released as the blonde was pushed away, leaving Haruhi to kneel down beside the couch, brown eyes shimmering with worry. "Don't be afraid, _Name_-chan. You're safe here."

_Name_'s eyes cracked open to peer at Haruhi's smiling face. Her heart was pounding in her ribcage, eyes clouding over with tears. Was this what it felt like to have someone who cared? What it felt like to have a friend? She felt cared for, and she didn't feel alone. She sniffled, burying her face into her knees.

Tamaki shot up, his hands weaving through his blonde locks and eyes wide in distress. "W-Why are you crying, hime?!"

"Way to go, tono -" Kaoru piped up from behind him.

"- You made her cry." Hikaru finished from beside his twin.

"Eh?!" the blonde cried. "W-What did I do?!"

Haruhi sighed at the loud volume, opening his mouth to scold them but he never got the chance. _Name_ flung her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest.

"Haruhi?" she called softly, her voice slightly muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"Yes _Name_-chan?" his arms wrapped around her body, hand resting on her head.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. You... you're the first friend I ever had and I... I owe you a lot."

The brunette laughed, ruffling her hair. "You don't owe me anything. You're a nice person, and I'm happy to be your friend."

_Name_ smiled for the first time in many years, a real, genuine smile that made her face light up and her heart flutter with happiness.

"I love you, Haruhi."

"I love you, to." he smiled back.

She buried her face farther into his warm chest before pausing.

Something wasn't right here.

She blinked dumbly up at him. "Haruhi?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you a girl?"

The whole room grew tense, the other host members frozen in their spot with wide eyes and mouth gaping open. They started to deny the accusation, but Haruhi cut them off.

"I am."

"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried, clutching his hair tightly.

_Name_ simply blinked in response. "Okay."

They stared at her in shock as she rested her head back on Haruhi's chest, a content smile plastered on her face. To her, it didn't matter if Haruhi was a male or female. She was _Name_'s friend that had been there for her since day one, and that's all that mattered to her.

* * *

**Title:** Doesn't matter

**Character:** Haruhi Fujioka

**Anime:** Ouran High School Host Club

**Theme:** Hurt, angst, friendship, fluff

**Prompt:** My first...

**Words:** 2,274

* * *

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.


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